1. Technical Field
The invention relates to the storing and viewing of television program material in a computer environment. More particularly, the invention relates to playing alternate content during high-speed playback of commercials.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The introduction of Digital Video Recorders (DVR) has revolutionized the television recording industry. DVRs store program material onto a storage medium that is easily accessible, reusable, and the recording does not degrade over time as with videotapes.
DVRs give the viewer an unprecedented amount of control over how the viewer watches live and recorded television programs. One of the effects of the DVRs is that as viewers watch television programs stored on the DVR's storage medium, they have a tendency to skip over the commercial breaks.
Television broadcasters and advertisers have a negative viewpoint of the advent of the DVR. The feeling is that the DVR is destroying any purpose of advertising on the broadcast medium. Primetime no longer exists because viewers are not tied to the broadcaster's schedule. DVRs allow the viewer to easily store all of his desired programs for later viewing.
Broadcasters generate their revenue through the value of the commercial spots. Advertisers feel that they are losing their potential viewership “eyes.” If advertisers do not believe that there is any value in a primetime commercial spot, then the broadcasters lose large proportions of their revenue.
On the other hand, DVR service providers also generate revenue through commercials. There is an extremely large potential market for specialized advertising that is shown directly to the target audience. DVRs have the ability to evaluate the viewer's viewing preferences and make inferences as to the viewer's lifestyle. With this personal information the DVR service providers can directly target the correct audience for advertisers.
It would be advantageous to provide a system for modifying commercials for high-speed playback that allows content providers to retain and improve the value of a certain portion of television commercial breaks. It would further be advantageous to provide a system for modifying commercials for high-speed playback that allows service providers to present advertisements to viewers in advertising space that would normally be skipped by the viewers.